Students Present Solutions for a Better Quality of Life Through Inventions at Singapore Amazing Machine Competition 2016

More than 200 students of different age groups across primary, secondary and pre-tertiary levels conceptualised and constructed 58 Rube Goldberg1 machines this year, as part of the Singapore Amazing Machine Competition (SAMC) 2016. Guest of Honour Mr Ong Ye Kung, Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) and Senior Minister of State for Defence, presented the awards to the winners at the Awards Presentation Ceremony this afternoon.

As part of Singapore’s ongoing efforts to promote S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), this year’s competition required students to design and construct Rube Goldberg machines that illustrate ways in which S.T.E.M. could possibly help improve the quality of life.

SAMC 2016 aims to help students gain new knowledge from the process of constructing their unique machines, and seeks to cultivate interest, understanding and appreciation for physical sciences among participants. They get a chance to push their creative boundaries and construct their unique machines designed to perform a given task in as many distinct steps as possible.

After months of ideation, machine testing and reworking their projects, all 58 teams had one day to bring their ideas to life as they showcased their projects at Science Centre Singapore. Their entries were judged based on several criteria that included creativity, number of distinct scientific concepts incorporated, successful completion of the task and quality of their presentations. Furthermore, bonus points were awarded to teams for submitting videos of their learning journey. These videos highlighted the various steps involved in the development of their machines from the initial ideation phase to the final submission.

“As a national laboratory, we are very excited to see how the DSO Amazing Series of Competitions has been able to nurture interest in S.T.E.M. in students of all ages. Looking at their innovations today, we believe that their creativity and passion can truly make a difference to Singapore, bettering the quality of our future one milestone at a time,” said Mr Cheong Chee Hoo, Chief Executive Officer of DSO National Laboratories.

1Devices that are deliberately over-engineered or overdone to perform a very simple task in a very complicated fashion, usually including a chain reaction.

Mrs Linda Chan, Principal, School of Science and Technology Singapore (SST) said, “As a school of innovation by design, we are delighted to be part of the SAMC Organising Committee. In helping a wider group of students hone their knowledge and skills through applied learning, we also hope to nurture in them, an inventive spirit and resilience for problem-solving.”

“We are extremely impressed by this year’s entries for SAMC. Year after year we are constantly wowed by the brilliance of Singapore’s young minds and how they work around these challenges with their creative constructions, and this year is no exception. At Science Centre Singapore, we are constantly exploring unique ways to inspire a love and passion in the field of science and technology, while emphasising the importance of S.T.E.M and its role in Singapore – this year’s SAMC has shown students the possibilities S.T.E.M offers and we hope that they will continue exploring new ways of bringing S.T.E.M concepts to life,” said A/Prof Lim Tit Meng, Chief Executive of Science Centre Singapore.

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About the Singapore Amazing Machine Competition
SAMC is part of the DSO Amazing Series of Competitions, an outreach programme aimed at promoting interest in S.T.E.M. amongst young Singaporeans across the primary to tertiary levels. The programme’s ultimate goal is to raise the brand awareness of DSO as a national defence R&D organisation, and interest young Singaporeans in a career in defence science and technology. Since its inception in 2008, SAMC has attracted more than 2,200 participants from 85 schools. The SAMC comprises 3 competition categories - Category A (Primary Schools), Category B (Sec 1-3/IP 1-3), and Category C (Sec 4/IP 4-6/JCs/CI/Polytechnics/ITEs. For more information, visit www.dsoamazingcompetitions.com.sg/samc.


^ Videos of Rube Goldberg machines in action can be viewed at:
https://www.rubegoldberg.com/rube-tube/.

About the organisers

DSO National Laboratories
DSO National Laboratories (DSO) is Singapore’s national defence research and development organisation. It undertakes indigenous development of advanced defence and weapon systems that provide the Singapore Armed Forces with the superior technological edge in the battlefield. With more than 1,300 research scientists and engineers, DSO researches into emerging technologies, matures promising ones and integrates them into innovative system concepts to meet Singapore’s defence and security needs. For more information, please visit www.dso.org.sg.


Science Centre Singapore
Science Centre Singapore, a non-formal educational institution and leading regional Science Centre, along with its group of attractions bring out the wonders of science, technology, engineering and mathematics through its unique blend of exhibitions, educational programmes and events. A custodian of creativity and innovation, Science Centre Singapore has captured the evolution of nearly four decades of scientific developments.

The Centre and its partners have played a pivotal role in transforming the way students and the public interact with and learn about science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Since 1977, the Centre has welcomed over 30 million visitors and inspired them with more than 1,000 exhibits spread across 14 exhibition galleries and outdoor exhibition spaces.

 The Centre’s group of attractions include Omni-Theatre, Snow City and KidsSTOP™. The Omni-Theatre is an immersive dual-technology edutainment destination fitted with Southeast Asia’s largest seamless dome screen and featuring the latest and brightest 8k digital fulldome system in the world. Snow City is Singapore’s only permanent indoor snow centre offering an Arctic inspired experience at Singapore’s first ice gallery and snow chamber. KidsSTOP™ - Where every child gets to Imagine, Experience, Discover and Dream - is Singapore’s first children’s science centre offering an enriching experience through purposeful play for children aged 18 months to 8 years.

For more information, please visit www.science.edu.sg.

School of Science and Technology, Singapore
The School of Science and Technology, Singapore (SST) is a Specialised Independent School that offers a distinctive 4-year GCE O-Level programme with an integrated approach to applied learning. Learning in SST is multi-faceted as students gain a strong foundation of key academic concepts in core subjects like Mathematics and Science. The school aims to be a global leader in transforming learning and nurture passionate innovators through real-world applications of science and technology. For more info, visit www.sst.edu.sg.

For media queries, please contact:
Olivia Cham
Golin
6551 5426
[email protected]

Jyotika Thukral
Science Centre Singapore
6425 2541
[email protected]

Gisella Huang
DSO National Laboratories
6772 7239
[email protected]